The elephant in the room
by Bonasena
Summary: I LOVED the development of the Gibbs/Sloane-relationship in 1703. and this is my take on an post-episode events. please enjoy and let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

**post 1703**

**note: I LOVED the last episode 1703 - not the crime plot so much but the development with Gibbs and Sloane - FINALLY**

**I hope you enjoy this story. I hope i do all the Sloane/Gibbs fans justice. ****please let me know what you think.**

**Sloanes office**

Sloane is sitting leaned back in her chair. She looks almost dreamy up at a picture hanging on the wall behind her desk. Her hands are folded over her stomach and it seems like she is holding some sort of note in her hands. She just can't stop smiling tonight. He finally told her… he finally admitted to her that he feels the same way about her as she does about him… well told her… in is very own Gibbs way… For months she has been questioning whether Gibbs possibly had feelings for her too or if he was just playing along with her flirt. She knew when she first started that he had quite a reputation for being a real charming ladies man. she just never thought she would fall for that east coast marine attitude cowboy style, but… since last Christmas, there has definitely been something happening between them. The way she feels about him has changed. She always feels so happy and smiles when he is around. Sometimes she even feels like being a teenager again. Being silly and goofy around the cute guy. Sometimes she even though to her self whether he was flirting with her in front of Director Vance.

"Jack?" she is snapped out of her train of thought by the sound of director Vance's voice. She sits up and tries to wipe the smile off her face but it is impossible. She can't stop smiling. "why are you still here?"

"just finishing some paperwork." She says and adjusts her self to sit straight up and with her feet under her desk.

"hmm…" Vance says in a suspicious tone and walks into her office. "it doesn't seem like you get a lot of work done tonight." He says with a knowing look. Jack smiles shyly.

"I was a little lost in my thoughts for a moment.

"hmm… why where you staring so intensely at that new painting of yours?" he asks. Jack can't help but look back up at the painting.

"I was just thinking." He tries to explain in a casual tone.

"hmm…" Vance clearly doesn't buy any of her explanations tonight. "who gave that to you?"

"What makes you think it was a gift?"

Leon shoots her a look that says that he knows it was a gift. "based on the way you where dreamy over it I would say it is from a very special someone."

Jack just smiles and looks away from him when she feels the blush on her face. he just chuckles. He hasn't seen his friend so happy before and it really makes him glad.

"go home, Jack. You are not going to get any more work done tonight." Leon says with a smile as he reaches in his jacket for his phone. He got a text from Kayla.

"I gotta go. Dinner is ready. Go home, Jack. Enjoy your evening." Leon orders with a knowing smile as he leaves her office an closes the door. as soon as the door is closed behind Leon Jack gets back to her comfortable position in her chair. Her mind immediately drifts back to the conversation with Nick earlier in the elevator. He was spot on. She cant believe that Nick had noticed what happened last Christmas. She knew he was spot on the moment he said Christmas. She had tried her very best to pretend like she had no clue what he was talking about. When she had realized that didn't work she had just diverted the accusations by arguing that Christmas was so long ago. She knew by his smile that he was absolutely right. She and Gibbs had a thing… now Jack knew that it wasn't just her. earlier when Gibbs had left her office after he had just diverted her attempted to talk about the elephant in the room she had started to doubt whether they actually had a thing or if it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. he had acted like he had no clue what she was talking about. He had just started talking about her painting behind her desk. the first time she had seen that sweet Gibbs smile that had been melting her heart for months now was actually because of that picture. When she had spoken to Bishop, McGee, and Torres earlier and told them that she did not have a thing with Gibbs she had actually come to believe it herself. If Gibbs really was as clueless to their connection as he seemed earlier maybe… she had rationalized her self… it was just all in her head. She had been really bumped out about it and not really felt like going home. she had just decided to go to her office and spend the night there and get some paperwork done. But once she had gotten to her office her bad mood had disappeared once she saw the new painting and the note. All it said was "Merry Christmas" it didn't need a name on it. she knew exactly what it meant and who it was from. Gibbs is the most frustrating and most amazing person… she thinks to herself now that she is sitting in her chair alone in her office. She decides to go home for the night. She sits up at puts her note on the edge on her computer monitor and then gets up and grabs her jacket. She takes one last look at the painting from a distance.

"why? Why didn't you say anything?" she asks her self out loud.

She gets in her car and leaves the navy yard but she doesn't drive home for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Gibbs's house**

"Gibbs you are the most stubborn person I have ever meet," Jack says as she walkers into his living room. He is sitting in front of the fireplace in his blue USMC hoddie. He seems to be working on something. He doesn't even look up at her as she is standing in the doorway between the hallway and the living room.

"so are you, Jack." He simply says with a chuckle and continues working on whatever it is he has in his hands.

"You could have just told me," she says. she sounds a bit irritated, but Gibbs knows better. It is just a façade she is putting up and it makes him smile.

"where is the fun in that Jack?" he says with a big smile on his face.

"was it fun playing with my feelings?" she asks and walks over and sits down next to him.

"you know I would never do that, Jack." He says with a serious tone and finally looks at her for a second. His eyes are so sweet and intense at the same time. He looks at her just long enough to meet her eyes before he looks down at the piece of wood in his hands. "you wanted me to talk about feelings… You know I don't do that."

Jack just look into the fire. The warmth from the fire is feeling so good on her skin after she comes in from the cold fall-wind. The wind can be really chilly in the fall. She leans her head on his shoulder. She feels the warmth from his body and she wraps her arms around him and holds on to him to get a bit warm.

"You didn't see the note?" he asks as blows away some dust on the thing he is working on. It makes her smile remembering the note she saw attached to the picture.

"yeah, I did." She says and feels the butterflies in her stomach again. She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "thank you." he just smiles. It was probably the most romantic expression of feelings she could expect from Gibbs. She knows he doesn't like to talk about feelings. The only few times he has actually talked about feelings without diverting the conversation has been when she as been on an emotional breakdown and it has been to comfort her. she wraps an arm around his back and looks down at his hand to see what he is doing. He is doing some sort of carving in a piece of wood. It looks like a picture or something he is carving with his pocketknife.

"What is that?" she asks.

"woodcarving." He simply responds and blows away a bit of sawdust to clear his work so far.

"It looks great. Where did you learn to do that?"

"my dad. He taught me when I was a kid."

She is just admiring how focused he is on the details in his woodwork. He is just as detail-oriented in his work with woodcarving as he is as an agent. It is one of the things she has admired about him since she met him.

"I made one when I was in Paraguay…" he says. He never looks up from his work as he speaks. She just looks surprised at him. he has never spoken to her about his time in Paraguay and what happened to him down there. The only thing she has heard has been from McGee, Bishop, and Vance. "it was with the American flag on it. it helped me keep my mind straight." He says and blows away a bit of dust of his work. "do you still have it?" Jack asks, very careful not to break the mood so he shuts down like he sometimes… often does. "McGee broke it," Gibbs says. Sloane straightens up and looks very surprised at him. he looks up at her and smiles. The smile is more because of her facial expression of utterly surprising then it is about the memory of McGee having the courage to break anything that belonged to Gibbs. He turns his focus back to his woodwork. "we made a plan… we staged a fight so the guards would think we were turning against each other… we got close to the guards when they broke us apart and I got one of the guard's knife. So, we could work out our plan… it was never a part of the plan for McGee to break my carving."

"How did you carve if you didn't have a knife?" Jack asks curios. She is also very intrigued by the story.

"I used a nail I found in the cell. I managed to carve out an eager flying over the flag." He stops carving for a moment and looks into the flames. He seems to be fare away in his mind. She is just leaning her head against his shoulder and has an arm around him. she is waiting for him to continue speaking.

"McGee had every reason to try and save himself. He was going to be a father… he has a wife… He could have left me behind and saved himself a lot sooner."

"but he didn't."

Gibbs shrugs and focuses his attention back on his carving. There are a few minutes of silence. They are just sitting together in front of the fire. Gibbs focused on his woodcarving and Jack is just sitting with her arm around his shoulder and her head resting on his shoulder.

"Ziva was in Paraguay too." He suddenly says. Jack sits up straight and looks shocked at him.

"with you guys? Captured too?" Jack asks.

"no. She came to find us. She never did though, but she was looking for us. The rescue helicopter beat her by an hour." Gibbs looks up from his wood and into Jack's eyes. "she risked her own mission to get back to her family to try and find me and McGee." Gibbs is clearly very affected by the act of selfishness from Ziva. He thought she was dead… but She was on a mission that required her to stay off the grid for almost 7 years to protect Tony and Tali, and yet… she put everything she dreamed of on the line to try and find and save McGee and Gibbs.

"She haunted down the men that had captured us and made sure they couldn't come after us after we escaped."

"made sure… How?"

"Ziva is a former Mossad assassin," Gibbs says and gets back to the woodcarving.

"she killed them?" Jack asks surprised.

"I didn't ask."

Gibbs has worked with Ziva for years and has over time learned sometimes it is best not to know the whole truth.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sloane asks after a few moments of quiet where she has had time to take in what Gibbs has just trusted her with about Ziva and about his time in Paraguay.

"You wanted me to talk about Ziva." He simply responds with a quick glance at her.

"yeah but…" she sits up and turns her body so her whole body is facing Gibbs. "you said you didn't need any more talk about Ziva."

"I wanted you to know." He says and looks down at his woodcarving again. It is annoying her that he wants to look at her. she knows he isn't much of an emotional guy and she knows she should be happy that he at least opens up to her a little bit once in a while. He blows some dust away from his woodcarving and then folds his knife and places it in his pocket. He puts the piece of wood he has been working on, on the floor and stands up.

"You want a beer?" He asks and walks to the kitchen before she can even answer. When he comes back into the living room, she is looking at his woodcarving. It is only half an image, but it is pretty clear that it is the feature of a female face with long wavy hair. Gibbs places the two beers on the floor in front of Jack along with some stuff to make popcorn over the fireplace. "that is so Gibbs cowboy-style" Jack thinks with a smile as she follows him with her eyes. Afterward, he walks to the couch to get a blanket that he wraps around her before he takes his seat on the floor next to her again. She wraps her arms around his shoulder form the side and places her head on his shoulder. She is still holding the woodcarving in her hands. She runs her thumb over the carving.

"You like it?" he asks.

"it is beautiful. It is Ziva isn't it?"

"Maybe… it is whoever you want it to be." He says and takes the carving from her. She just smiles at him. He is using her words from their argument earlier. He starts preparing the popcorn over the fire. It amuses Jack how old-school he is, but she also finds it really romantic in a very unique Gibbs-way. As the popcorn starts popping over the fire Gibbs looks down at Jack's head that is still resting on his shoulder. He leans down and kisses her on the forehead just like he did when they went to drop off the baby at his new parent's house.

That was when it all started for Gibbs. He knew from the first time he met Jack that there was something special about her. they had this chemistry. It was like she understood him in a way no one had ever done before. The way she made him smile, whenever he looked into those brown eyes of hers. When she told her about her time in Afghanistan, he had that feeling in his heart that he wanted to kill the monster himself just like he had done to Pedro Hernandez. He understood Jack differently after that. When he thought she had died in the car explosion made by Gabriel Hicks his heart nearly stopped. All he could do when he saw her was just stare at her. it had bartered her… just like it would have it she had done the same to him. she was the person he had ever told about Shannon and Kelly's murder and what he had done. She knew more about her than anyone else probably did. He knew that sometimes he would even, without thinking about it be flirty with her even in front of director Vance or McGee. She would play along. No one else seems to have noticed it. they probably already knew something was going on… they are special agents after all. He has never been the kind of man who would be flirty in front of his coworkers and especially not in front of Director Vance and yet… it just came so naturally with her… Sometimes he would catch himself walk up to her office just to see if she was there, for no case-relevant reason… just to see her smile. He knew she always smiled whenever he stepped into her office. He would always smile when he saw her too.

"what are you smiling at?" Her voice snaps his out of his thought. He doesn't want to admit that he was just thinking about her. he is not going to be that soft around her, even though she is the one who can make him go really soft. She is the only one with whom he feels comfortable talking about Ziva… or Paraguay… or Shannon and Kelly.

"nothing." He simply says places a kiss on her forehead and takes the popcorn out of the fire and pours them into a bowl. He grabs a handful and brings the bowl in front of her to offer her some. She looks at him a bit uncertain of what he is up to and then takes a handful.

"cowboy I gotta say you definitely have your own way of showing off a girl. A painting, beer, and popcorn?" She says and stuffs some popcorn in her mouth. He looks away from her when he can feel a blush on his cheeks from the wy she is looking at him. she enjoys so much that she can get the touch agent to blush like a teenage boy.

"I loved the painting by the way, but…" she waits for him to look at her before she continues speaking. "Why didn't you tell me the truth earlier?"

"What truth?" he asks and takes a handful of popcorn and stuff it in his mouth.

"come on Gibbs. Enough with the Poker face." He looks at her with the same unknowing look that he had earlier. She is getting really tired of his pretend of not knowing what she is talking about every time it gets too emotional. She is looking at him in a way that tells him he is supposed to know exactly what she is referring to. When she doesn't answer his question he continues.

"You never asked me about anything. You said you wanted to talk to me about the elephant in the room. We did."

"yeah and you diverted the question and pretend like you have no freaking clue of what I was talking about."

"I didn't."

"BS Gibbs…" Sloane stands up. Based on her body language she is getting frustrated with him. she turns her back to him and runs her hand through her hair to give herself a moment to compose her emotions before she turns around to face him again. He is still sitting on the floor.

"Excuse me, Jack." He almost jumps up from the floor in defense of her verbal attack. "You could have told me what you were referring to." She doesn't say anything she is just staring at him with frustration.

"I asked you if there was anything you wanted to talk about and you said maybe later. You shut me off too, Jack." He yells back. She knows he is right. She is starting to feel the tears forming in her eyes. She is trying to sound tougher and more together then she feels.

"but, why the poker face?" He just shrugs he doesn't know what to answer. He has no reason for putting up his poker face to her earlier. "what am I suppose to profile you before I can understand you."

"wasn't that what you were doing?" He snaps back. he knows she wasn't trying to profile him. she was just simply doing her job that she was assigned to do by Vance. But Jack also knows that what she did provoked Gibbs to shot her out so it was kind of her own fault that he refused to talk to her and put up his defensive poker face. They are both pretty upset. Not exactly the mood that Jack was hoping for the night when she decided to drive over to his house.

"do you have any idea how hurtful it was? Thinking that you had no feelings for me. I started to rethink everything that has happened over the past year or so. Rationalizing it… I started questing whether that kiss at Christmas was something special or just another comforting kiss like you do to Abby, Kasie, and Ellie. That way you looked at me in the ambulance after the explosion. Back then I thought It was because you were deeply concerned at me."

"I was." He interrupts. He doesn't like the way she is questioning his feelings for her.

"yeah and so where you for Bishop… and Kasie. I started to think that all the smiles and little moments I thought we had had over the last year had just been all in my head. Like it was just my imagination that we had something special. That poker face made me think my feelings for you weren't reciprocated. You know how that feels?"

"Yeah, I do…" He admits while he is looking right into her brown tearful eyes. It makes her calm but at the same time, it hurts. He quickly breaks eye contact and looks down at the ground. She wasn't expecting that he would say that. He seems so hurt and vulnerable when he looks down at the ground instead of making eye contact with her. "You did the same to me. I asked you if there where anything you wanted to talk about and you just shut me down too, Jack."

"maybe I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't changed the subject or put up your dam Pokerface." She shouts back. she knows she doesn't really have an argument. It can never be his fault that she did the exact same thing to her that she just yelled at him for doing.

"so it is my fault? All of it?" he asks. He now has the sarcastic smile on that he puts up as a defense mechanism, but it isn't really helping on making Jack calmer.

"You are so terrible at handling your feelings, Gibbs." She yells. "ya think?" he says back in his characteristic sarcasm. Tears are falling down her face now. It is hurting him seeing her so upset. So he turns away from her to take a moment to compose his sarcasm. He has heard that statement way too many times from everyone he has ever been with. He doesn't want Jack to be another one on his long list of failed relationships.

"Jack… you know my history." He says in a very calm voice. He takes her hand in his and waits for her to look up into his eyes. It is very important to him that he listens to him on this. "I have 3 ex-wives, 2 serious ex-girlfriends and an ex-finance that I broke it off with who can testify to that being a fact." Jack look down. Embarrassed about her outburst. She knew his history of failed relationships. She knows all too well why he has trouble letting people get close to him. she feels really terrible about her comment.

"I'm sorry Gibbs." She says in a soft voice and looks down. She cant look into his soft blue eyes. They are just going to make her feel even more guilty about what she said than she already does.

"But you are right Jack." Jack immediately looks up into his eyes. She looks utterly confused at him. she wasn't expecting him to agree with her on such a personal and hurtful statement. "I should have handled it differently in your office today. I shouldn't have diverted the conversation or shut you down."

"yeah, you should have just talked to me… like I said." She adds and it makes both of them chuckle and the moment is suddenly a lot lighter in the mood. It makes Jack just smile and feel like a lovesick teenage girl. All she can do is look at his eyes and her eyes are slipping down to look at his lips and just thinking how much she wants to kiss him right now. She has a feeling that his eyes are looking at her lips too, but she isn't sure. Because suddenly Gibbs's glance at her turns serious in a way she hasn't seen before. His glance is so intense. She has never seen this intense glare in his eyes before. It isn't the intense stare he has at his team members when they do something wrong or at Vance when he needs something or his intimidating glance at suspects in interrogation. She has never seen this glance before… only on time… now that she thinks of it… she saw it in his eyes at Christmas. Right before he kissed her. she saw so much passion and love in his eyes at that moment. That was when she felt the butterflies in her stomach for the first time.

"no…" he simply says and that just makes Jack raise an eyebrow. "I shouldn't have talked to you," he says with the same intense stare. She looks confused. Before she can protest or say anything his hands are in her hair and he is kissing her. It is soft and cautious but intense. It is filled with so many emotions that he hasn't been able to put into words about how he feels about her. this is the first time he can truly express to her how he feels. At first, it takes her by surprise but she quickly recovers the surprise and reciprocates the kiss with intense emotions. Her hands find its place in his white hair. As they break the kiss a big smile spreads on their faces and they just look into each other's eyes. All Jack sees is the shine in his blue eyes and she feels the same butterflies in her stomach as she did earlier when she saw the note from him on the picture.

"I should have done this at Christmas." He says and they both chuckle like lovesick teenagers.

"so why didn't you?" She asks to challenge him to answer. He just smiles shyly and takes her in for another kiss. He wraps his arms securely around her and she feels so comfortable and safe in his arms. She has been thinking about being held in Gibbs's arms again since Christmas when they fell asleep together on his couch while watching a movie. She remembers he held her into him and she pretended to be asleep not to ruin the moment. She remembers how comfortable it was to rest her head against his chest and just listen to his heartbeat as she drifted off to the best and most peaceful sleep she had had in a long time.

**note: thanks for reading. I have at least 2 more chapters coming up on this story. please let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**note: thanks to everyone who has read, commented, favorited or are following my story. I appreciate it so much. I have gotten a comment on my grammar and spelling... I apologize if there are any misspellings or gramma that cause confusion in my story but I am not a native English writer. I am working on improving my spelling and grammar and I do my best but sometimes words that are spelled similar but have different mean is a problem for me. I am hoping for a little understanding of the matter and I am on improvements. enjoy my story.**

**Sloanes office**

Sloane is sitting in her office. She is finishing up her psych evaluations of the team. It didn't exactly go the way she was hoping, but she had an assignment from Vance and she needs to finish the paperwork. It knocks on the door. Sloane looks up and takes her glasses off before she gives the come in. To Jack's big and not really pleasant surprise is it Nick Torres who pokes his head in.

"may I come in, Sloane?" he asks. He doesn't sound as self-confident as he normally does which makes Sloane wonder what the purpose of his visit could be. Sloanes silently gives her go ahead with a nod. Nick comes in and instead of taking a seat he just keeps standing. He seems a bit uncomfortable. It takes a moment before he explains the purpose of his visit.

"I just want to apologize to you, Jack." He finally says which Jack can see takes a lot of courage for him to say. "I was out of line yesterday in the elevator." He adds. Sloane decides to just let him speak instead of politely accept his apology right way. She knows he was out of line. She had a job to do and he did everything he could to sabotage her assignment. "you had an assignment from director Vance and… I didn't corporate with you. I turned it on you that I didn't want to talk about me and I'm sorry."

Jack stands up and walks to the other side of her desk. She leans against her desk. her body language tells him she is willing to listen but she also seems a bit hostile towards him. which he completely understands why. He hasn't exactly been respectful to her the last 48 hours. He has managed to call her a punishment, completely invaded her privacy and thrown her under the bus in front of Bishop and McGee.

"Nick I know you are no the kind of guy who likes to talk about your feelings. I was trying to respect that."

"I know…" he interrupts her. "I know that. And what I said about talking to you being punishment was way out of line." Jack agrees with a silent nod. "yeah it was."

"I know rule nr. 6…" Nick says and looks down…" "never say you are sorry…" Jack clarifies. Nick nods and looks up again. "but… I think rule nr. 51 are stronger and more accurate." Jack look confused at Nick. She isn't up t speak on rule 51. "sometimes you are wrong." Nick clarifies and Jack agrees again with a silent nod.

"I don't see you as a punishment to the team, Jack…" Nick says and looks at her with his apologetic sweet puppy-dog eyes. "the last couple of days has been… rough." Nick admits. Jack notices how much it takes for him to admit it. "even for me." he adds. "I guess my way of dealing with my own issues is by focusing on others."

"I have noticed," Jack adds and that makes Nick smile.

"but Jack…" Nick says and turns back to be serious. "I know you probably don't believe me and most likely don't want to hear it but…" now Jack is a little suspicious of what the young agent is about to say next. She has had enough of his invasion of her privacy for the past few days. "I don't know… and it is none of my business whether you and Gibbs are… or have… or is going to have a thing, but…" Nick notice the change in Sloane's body language. The moment I brought that subject up again he body language changed to hostile just like it did in the elevator. _You are damn right it is none of your business, Nick_. Sloane thinks to herself the moment he brings it up.

A big smile spreads on his face. "I'll be really happy for you no matter what." He says and he notices the immediate change in her body language. She wasn't expecting him to say that. She was clearly expecting some sort of funny comment or something. "thank you, Nick." She says and takes him in for a big sincere hug. It takes Nick by surprise but he quickly wraps his arms around her took. "but… she says and pulls back to look at him still with her arms around his shoulders. "we are not having a thing." She says and takes him in for another hug. "of course not." Nick whispers almost not audible, but Sloane does hear it. but she doesn't really care. Nick gets a text and they break the hug. Nick looks at his phone.

"duty calls." He says with an explain look and walks to the door.

"Thanks for the talk, Jack. Are we good?" he asks before he reaches the door handle. Jack nods with a smile.

"Yeah, Nick we are good." Nick nods and opens the door right before he leaves the office he looks back at her.

"by the way… nice painting." He says and then leaves the office and closes the door. Jack is left with a big smile on her face.

**I normally like Nick Torres but I felt like he was a bit too harsh on Jack in this episode so I felt like he needed to apologize to her. let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Autopsy**

Jack walks into autopsy where Jimmy is sitting at his desk.

"Hey, Jimmy." She greets. Jimmy looks up. "Agent Sloane… how are you?" he asks and gets up from his chair.

"I'm good. How are you?" Jack walks over to Jimmy.

"I'm just waiting for Agent McGee before I start the update on my findings."

"Fine by me," Jack says and walks closer to the body. Jimmy sees this as an opportunity to have a chat with Jack about something he has been thinking about since yesterday.

"hmm… Jack, can I ask you something?" Jack takes off her reading glasses and closes the file she was reading in and turns her full attention to Jimmy. He seems a little nervous about speaking now that he got her full attention.

"Did I… did I do something wrong yesterday by telling Gibbs that you had been down here asking me about how he was doing?" Jimmy seems uncertain of himself right now. "no Jimmy." Jack quickly reassures him. "I just don't want to get you on Gibbs's bad side, and he seemed pretty pissed yesterday when I left autopsy after I told him that you had been asking me about how he was doing."

"it is fine Jimmy. No worries." Jack reassures him with a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"so, you and Gibbs are okay?" Jimmy asks. Jack immediate looks a bit irritated. She is not going through this again. "what do you mean?" she asks a bit harsher than she meant it. Jimmy immediately looks confused like he thinks he has done something wrong.

"hmm… nothing I just meant if Gibbs was still angry about you asking about him." Jack signs in relief for once it wasn't a question about her and Gibbs and their… whatever it is… thing.

"Yeah, we are good," Jack says with a smile and at the same moment the automatic doors to autopsy go up and Tim McGee comes in. Jack is grateful that he is here so she can avoid the awkwardness that suddenly accrued by the harsh respond to Jimmy.

Jimmy informs Jack and Tim about his findings on the body doing the preliminary autopsy and then sends them on their way. Tim and Jack leave autopsy together and walk to the elevator. As they are waiting for the elevator Tim sees an opportunity.

"jack…" He says and she turns to look at him.

"I just want to apologize for what I said yesterday. I wasn't being very nice to you. I put you in a bad position and I'm sorry." He says. Jack look confused at him. "when I spoke to you about Ellie." He clarifies and Jack nods in understanding.

"you were concerned about her, Tim. I get it."

"no, I wasn't…" Tim admits and looks down a little embarrassed. "I was angry with her. so, I tried to get back at her by making her look bad to you. it wasn't fair to you."

"why where you angry with her?" Jack asks. At the same moment, the elevator arrives, and they step in. Jack is convinced that Tim will shot down and pretend like the conversation never happened but instead I continue to open up to her in the elevator.

"Ziva has been like a sister to me… I miss her so much." Tim admits. He looks up into the ceiling to try and hold back tears. He takes a moment to compose himself before he continues speaking. "I was angry with Ellie that she didn't tell me that Ziva was still alive. I mean…" he presses the button that stops the elevator and then turns to Jack. "how could she not tell me? how could she hide that from me?"

Jack doesn't say anything. She just let Tim get it out. He clearly needs to just let out his emotions. A lot of emotions have built up in him about Ziva's return. "and then Ziva asks me not to tell Tony that she is alive. How can I lie to my best friend? And when I see Tali. All I want to do is tell her that her mother is still alive."

"But you can't…" Jack says fully understanding Tim's frustration. Tim nods. he doesn't seem to try and hide the tears falling down his face now. "I just wish… she at least had said goodbye." He finally says. Jack just listens to him. Tim takes some time to control his emotions again. He wipes the back of his hand over his eyes to wipe away the tears. "did you know she came to Paraguay, look for me and Gibbs?" Jack just nods. "I never looked for her…" he says. his voice and his face so filled with guilt. "I never looked for her," he says looking down at the floor for a moment before he presses the button to restart the elevator. The elevator doors open at the office level and Jack and Tim step out. He has his usual focused agent look on his face as he enters the office. He is clearly trying to erase all signs of emotions to not show his fellow agents any indications of what just happened.

"Tim…" Jack says in a discreet voice and places a gentle hand on his arm to get his attention.

"if you feel like talking more about this… you can always come to me. no one needs to know it." Tim nods.

"thank you, Jack." He says. "and… I'm sorry for being rude to you yesterday."

"thank you, Tim.," Jack says and Tim walks to his desk.


	5. Chapter 5

**MTAC**

Jack walks into MTAC where Gibbs and Ellie are standing having an online conference with a commanding officer who worked with the victim of their current case. Jack walks up to stand next to Gibbs on the opposite side of him than Ellie. Ellie is the one leading the conversation at the moment, but she does notice Jack coming in. Gibbs looks over at Jack and smiles at her and greets her by saying her name almost not audible. Jack wasn't expecting Gibbs to be in here. The smile he sends her makes the butterflies come back. Jack just returns his greeting with a shy smile. She feels like she must be very much on alert when Bishop, Torres or McGee is around. Sloane has been trying to avoid being near Gibbs all day to try and control her emotions. She can't walk around like a lovesick teenager if she is going to convince the agents that she and Gibbs don't have a thing. Sloane turns her focus back to the screen, but she can feel Gibbs looking at her a bit longer. She deliberately tries not to look at him and just focuses on the screen. The little moment between them doesn't go unnoticed by the younger agent standing next to them despite her effort to pretend to stay focused on the conversation. Doing the conversation Jack takes a seat in the back since she is not part of the conversation. She just needed to hand her complete profile of the victim to Bishop. The conversation ends and Ellie walks over to talk to one of the technical support staff while Gibbs comes over and sits down next to Jack. He looks straight ahead. "are you avoiding me Jack?" he asks whispering. She takes off her glasses and looks at him. He never turns his head to face her, but he can definitely feel her looking at him.

"no." she protests in a whispering tone.

"then why are you hiding from me?"

"I am not." She says a bit louder. She sees the teasing smile on his face. he got her exactly where he wants her. she played right into his game and she knows that right away and starts smiling.

"Okay, well played Gibbs." The way he looks at her now makes her just want to kiss him right now and she can see that he is thinking the exact same thing but they both know better. At the same moment, Gibbs receives a text from Kasie and he gets up.

"later Jack." He says with one of his classic Gibbs-smiles as he leaves MTAC. Shortly after Jack gets up and walks towards the door. she is couch up by Ellie.

"Hey Jack, you got a minute?" Ellie asks.

"hmm… yeah sure. Can you walk with me to my office?" Jack asks. Ellie agrees. They leave MTAC together and walk towards Jack's office. Once they are in Jack's office Ellie closes the door and Jack walks over to sit behind her desk.

"Jack I just wanted to say… I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't being very nice to you." Jack look suspicious at her. she is starting to detect a pattern here. All three agents apologizing to her in one day seems a little off. "I shouldn't have told you about Nick's fake fight with Ziva. I was angry with him for throwing us under the bus with Director Vance."

"is that the only reason?" Jack asks. Ellie look confused at Jack. "I'm just saying you and Nick seem to be pretty close. When someone who is your close friend…" "jack we are just friends and partners." Ellie interrupts her.

"Okay, I'm not saying you are not."

Ellie looks suspicious at Jack and it makes Jack uncomfortable. "is this about what Nick said yesterday?" Ellie asks. Jack stands up and walks around the desk to face Ellie.

"what do you mean?" Jack asks.

"last night… Nick said he thought you and Gibbs have a thing. Now you think me and Nick… is this payback?"

"no… no no no." Jack pretest quickly. "Ellie it isn't. but I have seen how concerned he s about you and he wouldn't get as upset with you and you with him if you two weren't good friends."

"I guess the same goes for you and Gibbs." Ellie shoots back with a raised eyebrow. That makes Jack look really tired and she roles her eyes. "would you stop, please? Gibbs and I… are not a thing." Jack says. she then notices Ellie is not really listening but looking right past her. Jack turns around to find out what Ellie is looking at.

"new painting?" Ellie asks. "it is nice." She adds. "a gift?" she asks looking over at Jack jack look at her suspicious, not sure what Ellie is up to. At the same moment, it knocks on the door and Tim comes in.

"Hey, Jack you got a minute?" Tim asks but he stops talking the moment he sees Ellie. "what are you doing here?" Tim asks. "what are you doing here?" Ellie asks back. At the same moment, Torres comes walking into Jack's office. "yo Jack…" Nick says and then looks up from the file he was looking at and sees his two fellow agents. "yo what are you two doing in here?" Nick looks accusing at McGee and Bishop and they both reciprocate his accusing look.

"I thought we were going to do it together?" McGee says.

"We were just chatting." Bishop defends herself.

"yo, you already did it?" Torres asks Ellie accusing.

"I saw Mcgee chatting with Jack earlier so I figured I might as well do it."

"Hey sorry. Excuse me. do what exactly?" Jack interrupts the three agents.

"We wanted to apologize to you for our pretty terrible behavior yesterday," McGee admits.

"We were going to do it together after work today," Nick adds.

"but since Mcgee had already done it I thought I would do it too. It felt more personal just do it by my self." Ellie admits.

"Okay," Jack says and takes the chart. "I appreciate it but you have actually all three of you apologized to me separately and I really appreciate it."

"wait you did it too?" Tim asks Torres. Torres doesn't really know what to say.

"when?" Ellie asks. "this morning. I arrived early." Nick explains.

"It was your idea to do it together," Tim argues.

"I know. But I felt really bad about some things I said yesterday." Nick defends himself

"way to go Nick. So much for being a team player." Ellie says. the three agents start to argue over each other. Jack just leans against her desk with her arms crossed over her chest and sighs heavily. She thinks it might be best to let them just get it out. The arguments get pretty heated until they are interrupted by a very loud "hey." They all three stop arguing and now realize Gibbs I standing in the doorway.

"what are you up to?" he asks and looks at them with a very irritated look. They all 3 look like ashamed little kids.

"we…" none of them really know what to say or how to explain the situation to Gibbs.

"They were arguing about apologizing to me for being crappy agents yesterday," Jack explains.

"Yeah, we were." Mcgee agrees and the two younger agents agree shamefully with him.

"well stop arguing." Gibbs orders. "what where the 3 of you talking about earlier?" Gibbs asks.

"oh right yeah…" McGee says and all three of them turn to face Jack.

"We were talking about going out for a drink after work today to sort of like bond again," Tim explains. "You want to come?" Torres asks with an apologetic smile on his face. Jack look past the 3 agents and notice a smile on Gibbs face that tells her he is going to be there too.

"Sure why not," Jack says with a smile and she is met by big smiles on all three agents.

"We got a lead on our suspect," Gibbs informs them, they turn to face Gibbs. "Grab your gear. "Gibbs orders them when they don't move and then he leaves the office.

"right." Tim says. "by the way Jack. Nice painting." Then the 3 agents leave Jack alone in her office. Jack has never worked with a team that is so much like a family-like these guys are, and she is starting to feel more and more like she is a part of their family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Jacks office**

Jack is sitting in her office. It is late in the evening. She was just in the bullpen where they got a lead on their suspect and the agents left the office to go and make the arrest. Jack had decided to go to her office and finish the paperwork on the psych evaluations for director Vance. It knocks on the door and Director Vance comes in. he closes the door behind him and walks over to take a seat in the chair across from her where she is sitting on the couch. She has her feet bend under her and she has taken her shoes off to be more comfortable. "how is the psych evals going Jack?" Vance asks.

"well…" Jack starts and takes off her glasses and puts her papers down. "that bad ha?" he asks. He knows his agents aren't very willing to talk about their feelings and he knew this would be a difficult but necessary task for Jack.

"I heard you had quiet the party in here earlier." He says with a smile. Jack nods. "yeah you can say that."

"How are they doing?" Vance asks in a serious tone but he also has clear signs of sincere concern for his agents.

"they are okay. It has been really difficult for McGee and Gibbs."

"they were the once who worked with her for many years. It only makes sense." Vance adds and Jack nods in agreement. "but…" he says leading her to continue. "but it has shaken up the dynamic of the group a bit…" Jack says. she takes a moment to find the right words to describe the situation. "they are like family, Leon." Leon nods. he already knew that. "it hurts Gibbs the most which affect the rest of the group."

"when dad is hurt it affects the children even more," Leon says. Jack looks up at Vance with a concerned look. She is, based on his distant starring way past her out of her window, not sure if he is talking about the team or his personal experience. Jack just lets him take a moment before he looks at her again. "how do you think they will overcome this? or will they?"

"they will be fine Leon. The trust and bond between them are strong. They have been through a lot together that has made their bond even stronger." Leon nods. he knows how close the team is and how much they all respect Gibbs and Leon knows that if anyone can bring the team through a crisis it is the fearless leadership of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"They are like family, Leon. And family fight sometimes." Leon nods.

"let me know if it causes any deeper trouble," Leon says and then stands up and buttons his jacket again. He is about to walk t the door when he stops and turns around.

"you said Gibbs is the one who has been struggling the most. Did you speak to him or did he give you a hard time?" Leon asks. Jack isn't sure how to respond. She can tell him the truth that they are more then friends.

"you know… it is Gibbs…" she says and that makes Leon chuckle. She knows all too well that Gibbs can be hard to handle. Leon leaves the office with a chuckle.

About an hour later Jack enters the bullpen where the 4 agents have arrived back after arresting the killer and finishing up the last paperwork. Jack walks to the railing of the top platform and looks over the office. After a few minutes, Torres closes down his computer and grabs his backpack.

"Okay, who is up for a beer?" Torres asks excitedly.

"me…" Ellie says and stands up and grabs her bag.

"me too." Tim ads. "are you coming boss?" McGee asks. Gibbs looks up from his file.

"Okay I'll go get Sloane," Nick says.

"wait why are you going to get Jack?" Ellie asks.

"ahh… because it was my idea to go get a drink." Nick explains in a matter of fact way.

"Yeah, but why should it be you, who…."

"enough," Gibbs says irritated and points up to where Jack is standing, leaning over the railing looking down at them.

"oh hey, Jack," Nick says with a smile and looks over at Ellie with a teasing grin on his face. Ellie just shoots him an annoyed face. "you are coming jack?" Gibbs asks. It amuses Jack to see how the three younger agents look over at Gibbs in a way that says "why didn't you let me ask?" Gibbs doesn't seem to pay any attention to his three younger agents. Jack walks down the stairs and meets them just as they are walking towards the elevator. Ellie, Torres, and McGee leads and Ellie and Torres are stilling having a pointless argument about why Nick should be the one to go ask Jack if she would come with them. They enter the elevator and Gibbs and Jack are standing in the front. Ellie and Torres continue their argument. Jack notices an annoyed expression on Gibbs's face.

"you can always move up to my office if you need some quiet time from them." She officer with a laugh.

"I might take you up on that." He says and shoots a look back at Ellie and Torres who has stopped arguing. Torres shoots Bishop and Mcgee a knowing look. That doesn't go unnoticed by Gibbs and Sloane.

"you want to say something Torres?" Gibbs asks.

"no, Boss." Torres quickly says and wipes away the grin on his face.

The five agents arrive at the bar and take a seat at a booth. Sloane and Gibbs are sitting next to each other on one side of the table while McGee is sitting at the end of the table and Bishop and Torres on the other side of the table. They all order their drinks and while they are waiting for their drinks there is a pleasantly relaxed easy-going conversation. Jack is mostly observing the 4 agents' interaction. They seem like a family. McGee tells the others a story about Ziva from when she first started working at NCIS and how Tony would give her a hard time about her English everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. While McGee is talking Jack feels Gibbs moving his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. they are already sitting closer to each other then normally colleagues would. With his arm around her, it feels natural for her to lean closer to him and rest against his side. Their drinks arrive just as McGee has finished his story. Nick makes sure everyone gets the right drink and there are some snacks on the table too. When everyone has gotten their drink Mcgee suggests a toast. "a toast to…" he says not sure to what. "to family." Gibbs suggests. "to friends." Ellie adds.

"a toast to friends and family. No matter where they are in the world right now." McGee says and everyone cheers their glasses together before they take a sip. Afterward, Nick, McGee, and Bishop seem to have noticed how Jack is leaning against Gibbs and his arm resting around her shoulders.

"Jack… you don't really do anything to prove your statement from the other night, here." Nick says with a teasing smile to Jack and takes a beer. McGee and Ellie look at him with a look that says "shut up."

"Nick Mind your own business," Jack says irritated and is about to sit up straight but Gibbs's arm is not letting her go.

"All I'm saying is that the way you are sitting right now doesn't exactly cooperate with what you said to Bishop, McGee and I the other night in the office," Nick says with the same big grin on his face that he had in the elevator when he confronted her about her thing with Gibbs.

"That was 2 days ago Nick." Jack shoots back but she knows it isn't really a good argument.

"All I'm saying is…."

"mind your own business Torres," Gibbs says interrupting Torres and takes a sip of his beer as he pulls Jack closer to him. Jack doesn't say anything but she just adjusts herself to be more comfortable against Gibbs while she is shooting Nick a look that says mind your own damn business. Now that she knows he got her back regarding any verbal hashing attacks from the agents about their relationship she can relax. The grin on Ellies' face towards Nick just says haha Nick. The rest of the evening is relaxed and comfortable and the mood is starting to get a lot lighter then it has been over the past 2 or so since Ziva came back and left again. Jack is certain as she is sitting comfortably snuggled against Gibbs and accompanied with the 3 younger agents that the NCIS family is going to be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: I have one last chapter for this story but… I need an opinion first… my goal when I write fanfiction is always to hit the characters as close to the actual show as possible. I am not sure about this one. Let me know if the characters are way off in this chapter and I will soon post the last chapter. But I might need to make some adjustments. Please let me know what you think of my portrays of the characters in this chapter or if you have any suggestions for improvement... And as always enjoy.**

At around 11 pm Gibbs and Sloane decide to call it a night. They say their goodbyes to the others and leave the bar.

"you think they are going home separately?" Nick asks.

"you seriously got to stop that, Nick," Tim says a little irritated.

"hey, you were the one who first noticed they had a thing," Nick says.

"yes, but I know better than to call them out epically Gibbs. You never call out Gibbs on a personal matter unless it is absolutely necessary." Tim says. he sounds more like a big brother talking to his younger brother. Nick just rolls his eyes at him. Tim gets up to go to the bathroom.

"do you think he just driving her home or are she staying at his house?" Nick asks Ellie with a big smile.

"you really want to know, Nick?" she asks and takes a sip of her drink. Nick seems to be thinking about that for a second and it seems like he reaches the conclusion that he doesn't really want to know whether Gibbs is spending the night with Jack or not. "don't ask a question you don't want to be answered, Nick." Ellie says.

In the meantime, Gibbs and Jack are walking to Gibbs's car together. Jack is getting cold mostly because she is tired, and she is holding on tighter to his arm. He takes his arm away from her to reach it around her and pull her closer to him as they walk to the car.

"Are you embarrassed about this, Jack," Gibbs asks as they walk. Jack stops and looks at him confused.

"what do you mean?" she asks.

Gibbs stops and looks at her. "you were hiding from me and avoiding me today at work and tonight she tried to pull away from me the second Nick started with his stupid comments."

Jack looks down at the ground. "I'm not embarrassed, Gibbs. It is just… I don't like office gossip."

"then don't pay attention to it."

"that is easier said than done."

"ya think?" he says with a raised eyebrow.

"Nick called me out on it a few days ago when I tried to talk to him about Ziva. He cornered me and turned the conversation on me about you and me."

"tell him to mind his own damn business Jack."

"it is not that easy. I saw right through me. he mentioned what happened over Christmas." Jack says. Gibbs seems like it doesn't make any difference what Nick said to her.

"Just tell him to mind his own business. This is our business, not his. But if you have a problem with it, then fine…" he says and shrugs and exhales resignedly and turns around and continues walking. Jack realizes what she said might have sounded like she is embarrassed or not really interested in being with him. that was not her intention at all. He is a few meters ahead of her and she tries to catch up to him. They are walking some distance to each other. They finally reach Gibbs's car and Gibbs unlocks it and walks over to the driver's side. He is surprised when Jack walks to the driver's side too instead of getting into the passenger seat. Gibbs has opened the door and he is a bit confused when she is standing right behind him without saying a word.

"are you going to get in?" he asks without looking at her.

"Please look at me, Gibbs." She says. he signs heavily before he turns around. He hates fighting with a woman and especially a woman he cares about as much as he cares about her. he turns around to face her and he is expecting her to say something or yell at him, but he is completely cut off guard when she forcefully kisses him. her hands are on his face and the kiss is intense. He is completely speechless when they pull apart. He just stares at her confused.

"what was that?" he asks.

"I am not embarrassed about being with you. do you believe me now?" she asks. At first, he just stares at her with a blank poker-face. His poker face is driving her crazy. She is normally pretty good at reading people, but she can't read his poker face. "say something, Gibbs." She says frustrated. "maybe." Is all he says. "maybe?" she asks confused. "what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he shrugs. "maybe another kiss will fully convince me." he says and crack into a big smile and then starts laughing when he sees the fruition on her face that then turns in to a relived smile and then she starts laughing too. She hits him on the chest with her fist in frustration. "you are so annoying." He takes her into a big hug to apologies to her for playing with her like that.

"I know you are not hiding from me, Jack." He says and kisses her forehead. She rests her head against his chest. "don't do that to me again Gibbs."

"I care about you too Jack." He says and places another kiss on her forehead. She looks up at him to meet his blue eyes. "I'm not so sure of that right now." He leans down to catch her lips in a kiss, but she douches the kiss and he ends up kissing her forehead instead.

"did you just douche me?" he asks surprised.

"you think you get to kiss me when you toy with me like that?" she asks trying to sound determined but his sweet loving smile completely ruins it and they both start laughing like lovesick teenagers.

"okay. Get in the car. You are getting cold." He orders and places one last kiss on her forehead before he lets go of her and she walks to the other side of the car and gets into the passenger seat. Gibs gets into the driver's seat and buckles his seatbelt. He then looks over at Jack who is adjusting her self to almost lay down in the seat and be comfortable. When she finally seems to be comfortable Gibbs unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches to the back seat. Jack just follows him with her eyes silently. He reaches a blanket and places it over her. she giggles. He is playing along with her. he finally starts the car once she is comfortably cozy under the blanket and drives out of the parking lot.

McGee, Bishop, and Torres have been standing at the corner of the street at the entrance to the parking lot. They left shortly after Gibbs and Jack and have seen it all. They just look at each other surprised. "you asked the question, Nick. I think you just saw the answer." "I didn't need it answered." nick says almost like he is terrified of what he just saw. Ellie and McGee just laugh at him and then walk to their cars in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**note: Thank you so much for reading my stories. I really apriciate all the comments I have gotten. it encourage me to continue writing. I loved writing this one and I have gotten som request I will see if I can fulfill soon. I just had an exam at the university yesterday so that is why my update has been a little delayed. I hope you enjoyed reading and I am hoping for some more ideas from tonight's episode. enjoy and please leave a comment on your opinion.**

Gibbs drives into his driveway and parts his car. He looks over at Jack who has fallen asleep doing the ride to his house. He unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches over and places a hand on her face and gently touches her cheek.

"Jack we are here." He gently says and she starts to move and slowly opens her eyes. Her eyes adjust to the light coming from the streetlight. She stretches and yarns. "how dare you to wake me up, Gibbs? That is not very gentleman like." Gibbs smiles and chuckles.

"you can just sleep out here if you want." He laughs and gets out of the car. Gibbs waits for her for a moment but when she doesn't get out or even seems to be moving in her seat he walks to her side of the car and opens her door. She snuggles further under the blanket when she feels the cold air hitting her skin.

"Ohh Gibbs that is not nice." He chuckles at her and reaches in and takes the blanket off of her and she complains even more. He leans in and unbuckles her seatbelt.

"come on, Jack." He says and looks at her with a sweet smile. She is just smiling at him. She enjoys how he is being so caring for her. she has her eyes closed while she is getting her body to wake up. She can feel he is looking at her and that he is moving his head closer to hers. She smiles and opens her eyes and sees he is just inches away from her. his shining blue eyes are so intense and sweet. He leans closer to her and she thinks he is going to kiss her but he doesn't. he grabs her hands and pulls her out of the car on her feet.

"Gibbs…" she wines. "It is cold."

Gibbs just chuckles and leans an arm around her and pulls her closer to him as they walk t the front door. once they are at the front door Gibbs tries to find his keys when Jack starts kissing him. due to the distraction from her, it takes a bit longer for him to find his keys.

"It takes longer for me to find my keys when you are distracting me."

She stops kissing him and looks at him. "I'm distracting you?" she asks and they both start laughing. He gives her a quick peek on the lips before he finds his keys and unlocks the door.

"I think we are being watched," Jack says and that makes Gibbs look in the direction she is looking. An elderly woman in the house across the street is trying to discreetly hide behind her curtains while she is watching them. Gibbs chuckle.

"We have been watched all night Jack." He says and they walk into the house and closes the door. Gibbs helps her out of her jacket and they walk into the living room.

"what do you mean with that?" she asks.

"at the crime scene… the office… the bar… the parkinglot…."

"The parking lot?" she asks confused. She clearly didn't know that the 3 younger agents had left the bar right after them.

"Torres… Bishop… McGee…"

"Yeah… I get who you are talking about." She snaps and he just raises an eyebrow.

"they were at the parking lot too." Jack looks confused. "they followed us?"

Gibbs chuckles. "you got to watch the watcher Jack. Rule 35." He reminds her and walks to the kitchen and grab 2 beers. When he comes back into the living room Jack is laying down on the couch with her eyes closed.

"I'm not sleeping." She mumbles sleepily.

"I know." He chuckles and walks over and sits down next to her head. He is careful not to sit on her blonde hair that is spread out on the couch. She places her head on his leg and adjusts herself so she can look up at him.

"does it bother you that Bishop, Torres, and McGee are observing you so much?" she asks.

Gibbs takes a sip of his beer and shakes his head.

"No, I'm used to it. I have 3 ex-wives. I am used to jokes about my personal life, Jack."

"I don't know if I can get used to it."

"It takes time." He takes another sip of his beer. He absentmindedly runs his fingers through her hair and just enjoys the feeling of her near him. she looks up at him. As he rests his head against the back of the couch, he seems so relaxed. The sight of him so relaxed is something that she has come to enjoy quitting a lot. It makes her relax and feel so much at home. something that neither of them has felt for many years. Relaxed and at home with someone.

For nearly 7 years Gibbs has been isolating himself emotionally. His last romantic relationship, Samantha Ryan, was spooked away by a terrorist and over the past 7 years he has lost an agent who was like a daughter to him, first DiNozzo and then Abby left NCIS after losing another friend and family member and Gibbs himself along with McGee was captured and starved for 2 months. And lately, the return of Ziva, whom he thought was dead has returned and left again… The last 7 years have been rough and an emotional rollercoaster for Gibbs, and it has become easier to just shot down his emotions, but with Jack. Jack has turned his world upside down. The wall around his emotions that he has spent the last 7 years building up… she has managed to tear holes in that from the first moment he meets her… and he is yet to figure out what that is going to mean for him… but for now… he is just enjoying the moment with Jack…

Jack looks up at Gibbs. He seems relaxed. He is looking down at her. he has a small smile on his lips. He seems lost in his thoughts. She reaches up and places a hand on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks softly almost whispering.

He seems to be snapped out of his thoughts and takes a sip of the beer.

"The elephant in the room." He says and it makes them both laugh. They have yet to figure out what exactly the elephant in the room means but at least now it is out in the open… or at least on the wall in Jack's office.


End file.
